The third item above happened in a constitutionally questionable way. Protesters occupied the parliament so the MPs voted in another room.

So should the EU intervene or not? After all Enlargement we were told was about strengthening democracy in firmer Communist countries (Though I suspect it was really about cheap labour and new export markets). The Treaties allow the EU to suspend a states rights under the Treaties for violating fundamental values of the EU.

The third item above happened in a constitutionally questionable way. Protesters occupied the parliament so the MPs voted in another room.

So should the EU intervene or not? After all Enlargement we were told was about strengthening democracy in firmer Communist countries (Though I suspect it was really about cheap labour and new export markets). The Treaties allow the EU to suspend a states rights under the Treaties for violating fundamental values of the EU.

Europhobes will criticise the EU for any attempt made to rebuke the Polish Govt for its authoritarian behaviour while deploring the EU's indifference to the Polish Govt's authoritarian behaviour.

The third item above happened in a constitutionally questionable way. Protesters occupied the parliament so the MPs voted in another room.

So should the EU intervene or not? After all Enlargement we were told was about strengthening democracy in firmer Communist countries (Though I suspect it was really about cheap labour and new export markets). The Treaties allow the EU to suspend a states rights under the Treaties for violating fundamental values of the EU.

The Polish equivalent of Oireachtais report is to be restricted to just four TV channels?
And people are rioting in the streets in protest?

The Polish equivalent of Oireachtais report is to be restricted to just four TV channels?
And people are rioting in the streets in protest?

A bit more to it than that. Knowing people who work there it is quite scary. People won't talk on the phone because it might be bugged. The EU should absolutely intervene and tell PiS and others like Orban that they subscribe to EU norms of they will not get a red cent of EU money.

The new legislation also provoked a heated debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday. Ahead of the debate, the Greens/European Free Alliance group issued a statement urging the EU to trigger Article 7 against Poland and restrict its voting rights in response to the freedom restrictions imposed by the Polish government.

"There is a broad support in the parliament to do that," Dutch liberal MEP Sophie in't Veld told journalists.

"Like all other EU citizens, Poles have the right to an independent judiciary... Polish women have freedom of choice, and Poles have the right to freedom of assembly, expression and thought," she added, as cited by AFP.

"This is really an unlawful limitation on our constitutional rights and freedoms," said Kamilia Gasiuk-Pihowicz, a lawmaker with the opposition Modern party, as cited by AP. Some MEPs criticized Poland’s government for continuing to threaten democratic principles and European values.

Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission also expressed his concern about "systemic threat against the rule of law" in Poland, referring to the new freedom of assembly law as well as to another legislation pending Polish Senate’s approval that would allow Poland's president to effectively nominate the acting president of the Constitutional Court.

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